News from UMass Lowell for Week of April 9, 2013

Story and Source Ideas for Journalists

04/09/2013

This is a notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Office of University Relations, 978-934-3224. For more stories about UMass Lowell, visit www.uml.edu and click on “Media” at the top of the page. Please note that contact names below are for the media and are not for publication.

Sources of the week: UMass Lowell political experts can discuss the candidates’ performance in the April 8 U.S. Senate debate between Democratic candidates U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey, along with the issues in the race. University representatives will be available to discuss how the success of the River Hawks men’s hockey team complements the university’s mission and goals for the future of the institution.

What: The public is invited to the free Jack Kerouac book reading and discussion series that explores three of the author’s Lowell-centric novels: “The Town and the City,” “Visions of Gerard” and “Maggie Cassidy.” The UMass Lowell Libraries series, which began in January, features Prof. Todd Tietchen, a member of UMass Lowell’s English faculty, who leads discussions about each novel. A Beat Generation scholar, Tietchen is an internationally known Kerouac expert. Members of the public may attend one or both of the remaining sessions, which will cover “Visions of Gerard” on Tuesday, April 9 and “Maggie Cassidy” on Tuesday, April 30. To register, go to http://libguides.uml.edu/kerouac or contact Sara Marks at Sara_Marks@uml.edu. Support for the series is provided by the UMass Lowell English Department and Office of Community and Cultural Affairs, and the Massachusetts Humanities Council.

What: Fifty eighth-graders from Lowell public schools will visit campus as part of the UMass Lowell’s UTeach program, which aims to increase the number of students pursuing careers that involve science, technology, engineering and math. The students will be introduced to fields such as nanotechnology, life sciences and plastics engineering. They will also get a chance to view state-of-the-art equipment at the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, including a scanning electron microscope. They will also visit the university’s Baseball Research Center and see the award-winning concrete canoe designed by UMass Lowell engineering students.

What: The countdown to graduation starts now! Members of UMass Lowell’s Class of 2013 will pick up their caps and gowns, along with tickets for Commencement ceremonies during a party featuring music, food, raffle prizes and the broadcast of the NCAA Frozen Four semi-final national championship game between the UMass Lowell River Hawks and the Yale Bulldogs on the Tsongas Center video scoreboard. Talk to graduating seniors about their UMass Lowell experience, their hopes for their lives after graduation and this historic season of River Hawk hockey. Commencement ceremonies will be held at the Tsongas Center on Saturday, May 18.

What: Hockey fans from across the region will cheer on the home team when the puck drops at 4:30 p.m. on the NCAA Frozen Four semi-final matchup between the UMass Lowell River Hawks and the Yale Bulldogs, broadcast live on the Tsongas Center video scoreboard from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Admission and parking will be free; concessions and Frozen Four merchandise will be available for purchase. Fans may also enjoy seeing the Hockey East regular-season and Lamoriello trophies, awarded to the River Hawks earlier in this historic season along the team’s journey to the Frozen Four. A second viewing party for the public will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13 should the River Hawks advance to the national championship game, to be played against either St. Cloud State University or Quinnipiac University.

What: UMass Lowell student-veterans will be honored in a SALUTE National Honor Society induction ceremony and Graduate Recognition Dinner. To qualify for SALUTE, student-veterans had to achieve at least a 3.0 grade-point average or higher as undergraduates. The event’s theme is “Breakfast of Champions” and the meal served will be breakfast. Coleman Nee, the Massachusetts secretary of veterans’ services, will be the event’s keynote speaker. UMass Lowell student-veterans who will be graduating in May will also receive they aiguillettes the will wear during Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 18.

When: Exhibit runs through Thursday, April 25. University Gallery hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays and evenings by appointment.

What: The UMass Lowell photography program presents works by UMass Lowell international students who participated in a road trip from Lowell to Lexington, Va., to visit the homes of American photography entrepreneur George Eastman and photographer Sally Mann. The students were joined by counterparts from the Bilder Nordic School of Photography in Oslo, Norway and the Ecole Superieure d’Arts and Medias de Caen/Cherbourg in France. “Spirit Level V: An American Road Trip” is curated by Arno Rafael Minkkinen, the Nancy Donahue Professor of the Arts at UMass Lowell and world-renowned photographer, and includes works on display at UMass Lowell’s University Gallery and the Arts League of Lowell Gallery.